I was going to wait until after lunch to post, but its sooo damn slow here at work that I am about to go crazy. I know shouldn't you be working and not playing on the net?? Well yes if there was work to do, but its been slow this month and they don't give us busy work... so we have to fend for our selves....

Anyway, my ab workout was great last night. I haven't worked my abs in a long time it seems and I am trying to get the back into my workout cycle. The only downside to my workout last night is that it was late... I didn't finish till almost 10:30... then couldn't sleep and ended up tossing and turning all night.

I told Stephen to get me up when he did this morning. He's up just after 5 and I usually am up around 5:30-5:45. He didnt do a very good job because I was mostly awake when he got up, but I proceeded to stay in bed till 5:20. I threw on my sports bra and got to it. I did a firm sculpting workout, which is strength training bascially. They break it up into lower body and upper body. I didn't strength train at all last week so I was pumped mentally... physically was a different story. I'm on my last day of the "wave" and its pretty brutal. Usually the first and last day kills me... but anyway I got fatigued pretty early on, then kept getting waves of nausia and had to sit for a min... needless to say when it was all said and done I felt like crap, but I got 50 mins in so thats all that matters right?

Stephen and I plan to run tonight, we do a 2 mile loop around our street.... I think tonight we might add an extra mile see how we do. I set the goal to be able to run a comfortable 2 miles without stopping by the end of this week... Step thinks it can be done... and I have faith in myself... as well as lots of motivation. I keep looking at the pics I posted and hate myself everytime I go to it.... my lower half is so ugly, especially my tush! So as I just told my best gal pal I am on a "war path!"

Today's Eats

Breakfast:
1 carb master vanilla yogurt: 2 pts
1/2 cup special k: 1 pt (I know no fiber lots of suger...but I'm not going to just throw it away!)
1 cup coffee: 0 pts
2 tbsp non-dairy creamer: 2 pts
1.5 pkt spendia: 0 pts
Total: 5 Points
(Note: I was really going to not have a cup of coffee this morning, but I couldn't resist! Hopefully tomorrow I will have better will power)

AM Snack:
1 banana: 2 pts

I haven't eaten luch yet, but I already calced my points... so I might as well stick it in.

Lunch:
2 slice Sara Lee Wheat: 1 pt
2 oz roast beef: 1 pt
1 slice colby cheese: 2 pts
1 tbsp yellow mustard: 0 pts
1 cup baby carrots: 0 pts
1 cup watermelon: 0 pts
Total: 4 Points
(Note: I may or may not have the watermelon, I usually get pretty full from the sandwhich and carrots, I might save it for a PM snack)

And that's pretty much it for now.

If you google, you'll find a ton of various calculators on the web -in fact fitday has one built into it -you enter the activity and how long you spent and it gives you the calories burned.

Keep oinmind though -it's not going to be an exact number... you really want to concentrate more on the "how you're feeling" and your heart rate than focusing on actual calories burned

Thanks Mal, I found a site this morning but was unsure of how acurate it is. I will try fitday, it seems to be widely used. I have another question about calorie deficit. I have a weight watcher thing that gives points back for exercise done but I have a mental block about taking in more than I need to. Is it going to kill my efforts if I just stick to my daily points and not worry about the deficit? Or should I make up for those calories burned?

I'm a proponent of eating as many calories as you possibly can while still losing weight.. that way when you get closer to your goal weight and have to make an adjustment downwards in your calorie consumption you've got that room to adjust..

Starting too low and not accommodating for exercise (though some of WW's activity points are a little bogus to me -as are fitday's "exercises"... ) doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room down the road...

Shoudl you accommodate for an hour of house cleaning and 2 hours of shopping - I'd vote no -but shoudl you accomodate for a 30 minute run or 25 minutes on the elliptical -I would say yes...

Hey, MissD. Just read up on your diary. Looks like you've been at this for a while. (Looking great, by the way.)

I, too, love to mountain bike. I would go every day if I had the time. When my kids get old enough to go with me I'll be dragging them all the time, but they can't at this point.

Anyway, just stopping in. Keep up the good work.

Hey, edco, do you have any link that backs this up? I've suspected this for a while, and I posted on here a thread asking if the protein changed, but was told that it really doesn't. I'm thinking that it has to change in some way, but how.

Also, do you know if there is a difference in the risk of salmonella when you compare standard eggs and free range? I have chickens and I see what they eat and all. The worst thing coming out of them is the poop, but the eggs are very tasty. I'd have no problem eating them raw, just have to make sure that the shell is washed very thoroughly before cracking it.

Okay, I wouldn't count house cleaning anyway, although it would be nice... I just consider it a daily activity nothing over and above the daily routine. I will use my points booster finder thing for my weight training, aerobics, and running... and biking. Ha I checked how many cals I would burn doing 2 hours of mtn biking... it was like 1200!!! Yikes we never ride for less than 2 hours on a trail! I would have to eat double to make up for that! Anyway, thanks for the info!

Thanks for stopping by and the for compliments! I still have a long road ahead of me, but I'm all for the challenge.

Mountain biking is amazing! And I agree if there were more hours in the day I would be on a trail. I just bought a new bike in march, its pretty sweet, but now I want to get a road bike too! I'm all for long rides where you can just haul @ss!

Cheers,
MissD

I'm thinking about getting a road bike, too. not so much for exercise, but to use for those running around town errands. Also to bike to work more frequently. Right now I have a mountain bike that sucks on the road, and a beach cruiser, that is so cool and so much fun, but a pig on the road and not the safest. I'm keeping an eye on the yard sales. I'm sure I'll find something.

yeah, I wish I didnt live so far from work or else I would bike, but its too far and there is not a safe route. Stephen my hunny rides his bike to work its only like 6 miles and there are trails the whole way. I have a beater bike I ride to school, its a beather because bikes get stolen on campus alot, I had one stolen last semester.

Yard sales are the way to go! Unless you are a serious rider... Stephen's road bike was close to 2k! Buts its nice!

Yeah, I'm 11.5 miles door to door. 3 miles are on a 55 mph road, so not the safest. Especially when I'm on my cruiser, which is what I've taken. Last time I did it, the chain popped off, which isn't usually a bad thing, but this bike has coaster breaks, so that was a bit scary.

Oh thats not bad at all, except for the 3 miles. Eek I don't know if I could trust coaster breaks! But thats great that you ride to work! Kudos! More people should... including me!

~MissD

Yeah, I wish I rode to work more often. As it is, I only ride once every month or two.

Just checking in for the evening.

I can't believe its so late already! I haven't done much since I got home, I was pretty tired from doing nothing all day at work. Stephen and I usually sit in the office and reconnect when I get home. We are having a meeting tomorrow during lunch and its my job to coordinate not only topics to cover but where we are having lunch. It not an easy task since I am the only one who is always thinking healthy. Well my boss decided that we needed to have a cookout because of the mid-summer classic (golf????) and wants to have hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker-jacks... Well apparently the face I made said it all, but in the end he is still the boss. I offered to make a salad... which is what I will be eating. My boss happens to be a large man who loves food... no who loves junk food. His lunches usually consist of chips and dip and chocolates. Need I say more... Anyway what I am getting to is I needed to go to the store to get the stuff for the salad... and blah I lost my thought... I'm all hyped up about really not wanting hot dogs for lunch... Grrr.

Anyway, I made burgers for dinner. Well I made the patty's and Step grilled them. We grill pretty much every night. Unless I am making pasta.... So that brings me to my dinner eats.

PM Snack:
1 100 cal jello pudding cup: 2 pts

Dinner:
1 lean beef patty: 4 pts
1 whole wheat bun: 4 pts (yikes if I only calced it before I ate it I would have only had half!!)
1 slice colby cheese: 2 pts
1/2 roma tomato: 0 pts
1/8 cup onion: 0 pts
1 tbsp yellow mustard: 0 pts
1 tbsp ketchup: 0 pts
1 svg corn tortilla chips: 3 pts
1/8 cup red chile: 0 pts
Total: 13 points

Grand Total: 26 points

Now this would mean that I went over by 4 points... however my points booster, which I have yet to use gives me back 4 points for my weight training this morning. And I should get more points back for my run tonight. I have never given myself points back for exercising because I didn't think I needed to. But I don't want my body to go into starvation mode either... so since I typically workout twice a day I might give myself points back for one of the two workouts.

My ab workout from last night has started to kick in... I'm pretty tight throughout my midsection. Which makes me happy... tight abs are good abs!

Anyway, thats all for now... I'm gonna see if Step is up for a run... or if I'm on my own.

Cheers and Good Night

This is my late morning check in. I ended up running on the mill last night for just over 20 mins... let's just say things didnt go as planned. But I got off my butt so that counts.

This morning has been uneventful at work again. It's slow slow, been reading through this forum most of the morning. Trying to learn as much as I can.

I weighed in this morning and was quiet pleased down to 146, the lowest I have ever been in my life! Also I am wearing a pair of slacks that I bought years ago and probably should not have worn them... they are HUGE! Also a good feeling. Pretty much having a "skinny" day overall. I feel pretty good too. I have been suffering from some pretty serious headaches since about the first of June. I fianally went to the doc and found that I had a sinus infection caused my allergies... well now that all the antiboitics have been taken and I am taking allergy meds daily my headaches are back... I wear contacts and thought well maybe its my eyes... I am wearing my glasses today and so far so good. By this time yesterday I was miserable with the pounding in my head that lasted all day till after I got home... Somethimes I think this job gives me a headache.

I am still peeved about the hot dogs for lunch idea. I did bring the stuff to make a salad, and I brought half a watermelon. I think there will be people in the office who appreicate it. Hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker jacks are not the ideal lunch for all of us. But again my name isn't on the sign out front!

Today Eats:

Breakfast:
Carb Master yogurt vanilla: 2 pts
1/2 cup all bran: 1 pt
1 cup green tea: 0 pts
1/4 cup soy milk: 0.5 pts
1 ptk splendia: 0 pts
Total: 3.5 Points
(Note: I was able to resist the coffee this morning, which I was glad for.. and the green tea with soy is amazing!!)

AM Snack:
1 Banana: 2 pts

That's all for now. I didn't work out this morning, wanted to let my body rest a bit. I plan on going to salsa tonight afterwork. I really am on a war path, really feel like I am kicking butt!